Devaluation

The Social Process of Devaluation

A Person becomes perceived or defined as Societally Devalued :

1/ By being different from others

2/ In one or more ways

3/ Which are considered to be significant by a majority or a ruling segment of society

4/ Who value this difference negatively.

The Reality Of Social Devaluation

The process of social devaluation is a reality and influences the life chances of people-at-risk in a seriously negative manner. It is a process involving all members of society, is a function of that society and is most definitely not inherent in the person devalued.

Why Do We Devalue People?

Many of the ways that we react have been inherited from our human ancestors, and even from our non-human ancestors. These include basic safety mechanisms- ‘avoid the different, desire what is like you’, ‘if someone has one threatening feature, look for others’. There is also a desire to identify yourself as individually valued or part of a valued group, and this is often achieved by defining who is not so valued.

Individual And Collective Devaluation

The subjects and objects of devaluation can be individual or collective:

Devaluee:	Individual	Collective (Group or Class)
Devaluer:
Individual	DISLIKE: Reaction can be very idiosyncratic	PREJUDICE: Reaction can be very idiosyncratic
Collective (Group or Class)	SCAPEGOATING: Similar to demonisation	SOCIAL DEVALUATION

What Is Devalued In Different Societies and Ages

There are many cultural and societal differences about what is valued and devalued, but also much in common between different societies.

Devaluation is a universal process, but there are differences between societies in what they value on what they devalue. Things that are valued in one culture may be devalued in others. The differences can strike one as very odd, but they may show what the cultural values are in that society, and may also indicate that one’s own culture may also be strange if looked at from an outsiders perspective; by looking at other societies, different in time and place, one may recognise the arbitrariness of ones own society’s foibles.

For instance look at some things that are devalued in certain cultures:

In Japan: being left-handed, especially if one is a woman.

In Europe, North Africa and the near East, and having red hair has long been considered stigmatising.

In England, working manually, being “working-class. In contrast, other cultures (historic and current) place high value on toil and artisanship.

In the North American society, not working at all. In contrast, some cultures value this.

In some parts of Africa, cutting the two front teeth before others has been considered a sign of bad luck so that infants may even be put to death.

In India, being a member of the untouchable caste.

(A report in 1993 listed the following as devalued groups in China: peasants protesting against high taxes, couples infringing family planning rules (meaning couples trying to have more than one baby), workers who violate labour discipline, vagrants, members of religious bodies, the mentally ill, and criminals.)

What is devalued in a culture can be more clearly perceived by identifying what is positively valued, and vice versa.